… the tough work harder!

I received some news today that an income source my family has will be going away in the next couple of weeks.  Now, at first the news is a bit stressful (after all, we have financial goals we are trying to meet).

But then it hit me:  I have nothing to worry about.  I just simply need to work harder.

I truly believe that in Internet marketing, network marketing, or any type of entrepreneurial endeavour that we take one we can either let minor setbacks destroy us or we can simply take the opportunity to make things better.  We can take the opportunity to get  completely stressed, or we can use it as motivation to work harder.

I’m simply choosing to work harder.

Not everything is going to go according to play 100% of the time.  I think we all realize that.  We cannot control everything, especially things outside of what we personally can make decision on.

But what we can control is how we choose to react and to circumstances.

If something comes up that is not perfect, make a decision to work harder.

Losing an income stream?  Work harder.

Niche becoming saturated?  Work harder.

Have someone quit your business?  Work harder.

But whatever you do, dictate how you will react to the circumstances instead of letting the circumstance dictate how you.

Today I got it in, I opened up the kit, I started reading through the manuals, watch the first introduction video, and started trying to figure out what I can do (and more imporantly, cannot do), on the diet.

And you know what it felt like?

It felt like when I had joined my current network marketing company, got the kit, started digging through it, and looking at all of the material (although I do no offline marketing, its still cool looking through the kit!).

But like so many people who do exercise, excitement can wane in a network marketing company.

That it is when it hit me:  Just like keeping motivated for exercise, you have to keep your excitement for network marketing going.  Make everyday just like the first day!

But let’s be real here:  What is the #1 thing that keeps people motivated in exercise?

Results!

When you get results from exercising, whether it be a few pounds off, a leaner physique, or simple compliments, you are excited and motivated to keep working.

Ditto for network marketing.  When we see results, or our team sees results, we are pumped, enthused, and excited about where things are going.  It makes it difficult to even think about quitting.

Keep your network marketing business just like exercise.  Keep working to see results, and keep excited.

Can someone who appears to be “unsuccessful” still posture in their home business?  In particular, can they still command authority in dealing with potential customers or business partners?

The question on the forum was how to handle “call backs.”  In particular, how many times you call back, how to handle it if they are not there for a set appointment, and all of the other issues around dealing with prospects in this manner.

As I am sure you know, it is easy to feel “beaten down” if you are not a six figure earner or full-time with your company.  Or if you’ve been in a “slump” it can feel that you are unsuccessful.

When this happens, you can have a tendency to lose posture.  And when you lose posture, you give too much control of the conversations to the people you are talking to, you lose faith in your ability to talk confidently about what you do, and you will often come across as desperate.  In other words, you fail to present yourself as an authority and a valuable asset for the new potential business partner.  After all, they are choosing you as much as your company.

So what does it take to regain posture in dealing with potential business partners?

First, become the “successful” marketer.  To me, you do not have to be enrolling tons of people to be a successful markter.  Yes, that will be an eventual byproduct of successful marketing, but it takes time to build up to.

To become a successful marketer then means to do just that:  Market.

I had to take a break from my business in the fall to deal with a health issue with my wife.  Doing that really through me out of the loop in several aspects.  My opt-ins fell, phone conversations went down, and I lost momentum.  It appeared I was running on the path of being an “unsuccessful” marketer.  And I’m sure I am not alone in this happening….it happens all the time in the industry.

But I knew that I could be successful once again.  It took consistent action, dedication, and serious work ethic, but doing this put me back on the side of being a successful marketer.

Do you know what happened?

-  My traffic increased

-  My opt-ins increased

-  The phone started ringing again

-  I began to feel good about the process again

And when all of this started happening, I could posture quite well in my conversations.  I feel good about what I am talking about now to people contacting me.  With what I’ve learned and the actions I’m taking, I can confidently say that what I offer is valuable to them.  I do not come across as desperate, and I do not have to beg for call backs.

In short, the best way to regain posture is to make yourself busy with the work of the business.  Doing this will “fill the funnel” and give you more people to talk to.  When you have more people to talk to, you are not desperate to sign up everyone you talk to.  Your conversations become more meaningful and you come across as someone who can help a person get to where they want to go, even if you are working on going there yourself.

But as I am working through my personal 90 day Internet marketing challenge, I’m realizing how much fun network marketing can actually be.  Some background…

My “old” background with the industry was always the make the list or buy leads.  Boy, did I have some HORRIBLE experience purchasing leads.  Even leads that were supposedly “exclusive” or “not incentivized” were never what they were sold as.  Wrong numbers, disconnects, and, of course, the cursing and screaming as people claim they never filled out the form.

Man, those days were painful…

But with my Internet marketing and system we have established, it completely has changed the game.  People are seeking me out.  They are trying to learn about me, often times before they call, which is cool with me.  But the system is bringing people to me…instead of me pounding the phones.

And its working.

Let me explain, if you are struggling with a business, what the system does:

It empowers you!

You know, if you have any “decent” cold call training, you are told to control the conversation.  And while that is true, its hard to establish that when you are calling them out of the blue.

But when people call you, that is because they want to know what you are up to.  That gives you authority.  Now, I’m not talking about an egotistical sense of authority, but a confident sense of the word.

I’ve had more positive phone conversations in the last week than I did in months of “smiling and dialing.”

And I fully expect it to only get better.

First Major Roadblock – Focus

You know where most people fail in a home business or network marketing?

They simply do not focus!

I participate on a lot of forums.  I find forums entertaining, informative, as well as a good place to attract people.  There are certain people that I’ve observed for years.  I can guarantee that they will be in no less than 2-3 opportunities each year.

Now, I know better than to believe that they have built decent residual incomes in any of those businesses.  Its hard to establish momentum in 2 months, 3 months, and for most people, 6 to 12 months.

These people have been referred to as jumpers, hoppers, junkies, and various other phrases based on their actions.  But the bottom line is they are simply not focused and do not stay focused long enough to build success.  They might have a quick hit or two, but they cannot establish themselves as long-term leaders in any company because they do not stay with any company long-term.

Some of the most successful people I know in network marketing have stuck with the same company for 2 years, 3 years, 5 years, or 10 years.  These are people who had consistent six and seven figure incomes built from their focus on that one company.

So my advice?  Make your next company (or current company, if you do not plan on making a move) your focus for no less than 1 year, but preferably 2-3 years.

Lack Of Growth

There are two types of “lack of growth” that kill a network marketing business.

Lack of growth in the business itself is not what I’m referring to here (although it definitely kills a business).

No, what I’m referring is the lack of growth of the individual.  When we fail to make ourselves better, we fail at providing the type of leadership it takes to build a successful home business.  And if we fail to strive for more out of our own lives, we might as well hang it up.

The bottom line is, this is a leadership and development business.  We must learn to lead (by first following) and then we must learn to develop ourselves and then others into leaders.

I personally know people, both inside and outside of the industry, that simply do not care to better themselves.  They are good with just being who they are, treading water, and never wanting to make anything of themselves.  They approach improvement with apathy and simply have nothing strive for (or rather, nothing they want to strive for).

So if we learn to first have something we want to achieve, work towards it while bettering ourselves, our success in the industry grows.

If you are sitting there wondering why you do not seem to be making it anywhere in network marketing, take a look in the mirror and see if this applies to you.  Are focusing?  Are you developing?  If not, you are probably not succeeding.

Network marketing really only has two important words.

Some believe it is “residual income.”   Some believe the words are “I can.”  These are all great words, but in reality, to be successful there are only two words that really matter.

The words simply are:  Work, and Marketing.

Work

This is the #1 thing that kills so many people.  If you are successful in network marketing, you know that success did not come by dumb luck or magic.  You worked hard to get there.  Yet so many people simply do not want to do the work that it takes to reach success.

Some get discouraged by the word “no.”

Some get burned out.

And some simply are lazy.  Just being candid here, but there are many, many people that are not willing to make the sacrifice to get there.

My mentor used to joke with people that asked him if this took a lot of “work.”  His standard response was, “No, once a month we’ll back the money truck up to your door and drop off a load.”  The absurdity of the illustration helped people understand the absurdity of success without work.

But for the “work” to, well, work, you really need and adjective:  Consistent work.  You cannot work two days one week, one day the next, a week or two out the year, or some off-the-wall schedule and expect success to happen.  It just does not work this way.  And I never understood that more until I challenged myself to 90 days of consistent action with Internet marketing, working the business, and making things happen.

As I push myself to do more, I’m seeing more signs of small success occuring.  Pushing becomes less of a chore and more of an exciting thing to do!

But these signs did not come in the first day, the first week, or the first month.  I’m now in month two and just now seeing it…but consistent work has put me there.

Marketing

This is where the rubber meets the road.

Everyone has their own way of marketing.  Some swear by the warm market and “belly to belly” techniques.  Guess what…that’s still marketing.

Others believe in purchasing leads and cold calling.  Still marketing.

Many are turning to Internet marketing.  And, as the name implies, it is marketing.

But where many fail in their work is simply not know how they best handle marketing.  You see, marketing is the key to consistent work, no matter what form of marketing they choose.  If you quit marketing, you’ve quit working.  Work is not checking email and “getting ready” to do something.  Marketing is the work you HAVE to do.

So what type of Marketing is best for you?  Well, that is up to you to decide.  There is a guy in my company that loves the belly to belly approach.  He takes appointments, presents the opportunity in person, and has built a great organization doing just this.

My mentor has done the same with Internet marketing, although the guy is a genius even in the “belly to belly” marketing world.

It is all in the preference of what you are comfortable with.

And after you determine what you are comfortable with, grow as a marketer.  Find ways to make your marketing better.  Keep improving.  As Art Williams said in his “Do It” speech, make sure your “butt is always burning” to do more and do it better.

And whatever you do, keep marketing, keep working.  Only these two words will bring success.

90 Day Internet Marketing Challenge

First, I have been faithful in doing something consistent, doing something every day.

I have, however, slacked in one major area:  Article marketing.

This is not something I’m proud of, but I hit a bit of writer’s block.  I had an issue thinking what I should write about.  I have a lot to write about, but creating enough quality articles seemed to be an issue.

But I did have a breakthrough…

First, I realized when I was attempting to write my articles.  I submit videos, write blogs, all this stuff every day.  The problem was  I was doing all of this before I did my article writing.  At this piont I was tired (I do not usually start working until 8pm) and struggling having enough energy, both physical AND mental, to be able to write quality articles.

So, I’ve made a change.  I’m starting writing my articles.

Then, I found it best to never stop creativity.   When you are in the zone writing, keep writing, Brent!  When I get going, I keep going now.  Yesterday I was writing and wrote 4 or 5 articles in a span of about an hour and a half.  The night before I wrote 3 in an hour.

So now I have around 7-8 articles that I can submit over the next few days.

I had one day of traffic down.  I really attribute it to not doing enough social bookmarking.  I’ve actually been looking for a tool to help me automate this process.  I’ve used SocialMarker.com in the past, but it is very slow at times.  But since I cannot find an acceptable tool to help with this, its time I go back to using it.  It is more important to me to have this stuff bookmarked than not.

As my mentor says (and he got it from a poster), “When you want what you have never had, you must do what you’ve never done.”

So simple as that, I’m cranking it all back up.

Why Network Marketing?

Too many people think that “network marketing” and “MLM” are dirty words; say it around them and they get offended.

Now, I realize its no fault of their own…or is it?

A lot of people join a network marketing company and do nothing…or do what they do wrong.  Very wrong.  They get discouraged, they quit, and they blame the company they were with, the industry, the person that recruited them, everybody and everything…

…but themselves!

Listen, network marketing is nothing more than a distribution method.

When I was in high school, I worked for a computer shop.  I helped build, repair, install, troubleshoot, and dink around with computers after school.  When we ordered parts, we ordered from a wholesaler.

Where did the wholesaler get their parts?  Either another wholesaler or the company.

So by the time our customers purchased the product:

1.  The product was marked up by the manufacturer, so they could make a profit.

2.  The product was marked up by one or more wholesalers, so they wholesalers could make a profit.

3.  The product was marked up by our store, so we could make a profit.

That product was marked up at least 3 times.  3 times!

And at least 3 entities made a profit off of one product.  We bought/sold a memory chip, 3 people made a profit.  A monitor?  3 people.  Mouse pads?  3 people.

Get the point?

What does this have to do with network marketing?

Well…….

The same process that occured when we bought/sold products at the computer store happens with network marketing.  It is simply a distribution channel.  The difference is, ANYONE can do network marketing.  You don’t need a ton of capital to order a bunch of products.  In fact, most companies have a way to get going for $500 or less and a business plan to help you make your money back (the catch is, you have to work!…hence the name, net-”work” marketing).

Don’t tell me its a scam.  Yes, plenty of people will LOSE money.  But whose fault is it?  Did they follow directions?  Did they actually talk to people?

Part of the reason I like doing what I do is I have the opportunity to get things rolling in both the online and offline world.  I don’t have to bug friends/family about it…but when my Internet Marketing starts taking over and signs of success show, friends and family will BEG to find out what I’m doing (success is a magnet, don’t let anyone tell you differently).

Now, I’m not hugely successful in network marketing…at this moment.  I will be.  You want to know how I know I will be?

Because I WORK!

Which leads me into my last topic for the evening…

Reaching Your Dreams

Think about this for just a minute…

What do you want to do in life?

Not how much money you want to make.  Money is the facilitator but not the end result.

What do YOU want to DO with your life?

Define it.  Think about it.  Does it stir up emotion?  Does it make you want to do something about it? Does it make you want to strive just a bit harder?  Work a bit harder?  Do more?

Your dreams are powerful.  Your dreams, what you really want out of life, should solicit an emotional response.  I know when I think about what I want out of life, I get emotional about it.  It makes me hungry to do more.  I spend a bit of time in prayer often about my dreams.  It makes me want to work harder, giving me strength to push through whatever mental obstacles I might have, and do work.

Now the question…what are you doing about your dreams?

If you are not doing anything, I encourage you to take action starting today!  Quite frankly, no one is going to move you closer to your dreams if you do nothing to achieve them.  If the thought of not achieving your dreams does not make you sick, sad, or depressed, you have not really figured out your dream.

You can reach your dreams, you just have to know what your dreams are and find a vehicle to help you get there.

————————————————–

That’s a wrap for tonight.  I will release a video blog this weekend with my week 3 status.

People who I thought would have no interest in them are all-of-the-sudden joining them.

One person I know well made it quite clear to me a few years back that he would never join one of those “pyramid schemes.” I received a text message from him the other day pointing me to a website with a presentation for a rather well known company.

Personally, I’m excited about what the future holds for home businesses. It is evident that more and more companies are moving to a word-of-mouth or referral method of getting additional business. Banks, retail stores, etc, are all offering affiliate programs geared towards having others advertise their products and services and getting paid a percentage of the cost or a referral fee.

There are many services that are very high quality that are offered through network marketing companies. I work with one fairly new company, but what they currently offer (and will offer soon) will be a huge help to individuals, families, businesses, pets, and everything inbetween.

For instance, on plan they have now is just geared towards helping people save money.

A future plan is going to be geared towards health care, but not in the typical fashion that most plans in this niche are fashioned.

How about tech support?

Legal help?

But here is what is really great about all of this: This is not the only company offering great services to consumers while allowing people to build an additional income stream. And while not every company is a best-fit for any one particular individual, there are companies out there that are a fit for everyone.

Cosmetics

Purses

Vitamins and nutritional supplemtns

Weightloss

Legal plans

Kitchen gadgets

Websites

Adult…umm…nevermind

Candles

You get the point. While any one company may, or may not, be a fit for you, there is one out there.

And if an all-out business is not for you, you can always concentrate on affiliate marketing and simply build websites geared towards driving traffic and generating sales.